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X-Men Gold #1 – Review

Hey guys, Jorge here. Just a quick disclaimer, the Mixed Marvel Arts is a place of love, so I will not be discussing the controversial messages left by the artist Ardian Syaf. But let’s talk about some X-Men!

X-Men Gold #1: To Me, My X-Men

Writer: Marc Guggenheim

Artist: Ardian Syaf

Inker: Jay Leisten

Colorist: Frank Martin

Letterer: Cory Petit

Cover Artists: Adrian Syaf, Jay Leisten and Laura Martin

Editors: Mark Paniccia, Daniel Ketchum, and Chris Robinson

Editor-In-Chief: Axel Alonso

Recap and Thoughts: Hello and welcome to a new era of X-Men. This is the first issue of Marvel’s new titular X-Men comics in the new, line-wide Resurrextion movement. It begins with a rant about mutants from Lydia Nance, a sort of faux Fox News Channel type personality. And then, bam! A gorgeous traditional group shot by Ardian Syaf. Both scenes evoke a classic X-Men feel. This team is led by Kitty Pryde, who is joined by Colossus, Old Man Logan, Nightcrawler, Storm and… Prestige? We will return to her later.

The team debuts with a battle against Terrax, who I cannot recall battling the X before, as he is more of a cosmic villain. The city is in shambles, but Kitty looks like a veteran out there leading her more experienced teammates; she is the one who figures out how to defeat Terrax and save nearby civilians. Once the dust settles and they make sure everything is okay, surprise surprise, the public is not quite appreciative. Kitty gives the crowd a very heartfelt speech about building trust again, but I am not sure if it helped any.

We move back to the X-Mansion, now located in the heart of Central Park, and we have a classic baseball game going on; baseball has long been a signifier for the beginning or the end of an X-Men era. In the middle of the game, we get a visit from a city employee who lets Kitty know that they owe quite a lot of money for occupying space in Central Park, as it is the most valuable piece of real estate in the city. I love that there are real world repercussions to this, as logistically it makes sense, but your traditional comic book would not typically mention this type of ‘trivial’ thing.

Afterwards, Storm and Nightcrawler are having a heart to heart talk about how things do not really change that much. These introspective moments are really what the X-Men are about; Chris Claremont was a master of this and I am glad these moments are making a comeback. On the mystery of Prestige, well it is not really a mystery, this is Rachel Grey, a former Phoenix. Kitty suggested a name change, since they are starting over once again.

We now get Kitty taking stock of what is going on, when Colossus shows up trying to rekindle a romance. The scene is awkward and thankfully for them they are interrupted by an attack by an all new mutant villain team. Who is this new team you ask? By god, it is the new iteration of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants; cue the cliffhanger.

Conclusion:This issue is a great starting point for a new reader, with strong writing that evokes classic X-Men tropes. The artwork is fantastic, with very dynamic action sequences. I am very happy with the issue as it takes the X-Men in brighter direction which reminds me of the Heroic Age that Marvel started after the Dark Reign period. I recommend this issue for both new readers and old fans that have been off the title for a long time.